In large format ink jet printers, the ink supply is stored in one or more ink cartridges remote from the moving print head. The provision of a controlled pressure to the ink is necessary in order to achieve the desired ink transfer from the ink cartridge to the print head.
Currently available ink cartridges have a rigid outer plastic housing with a flexible ink container in the form of a bag or bladder filled with ink in the interior of the housing. The interior of the housing is pressurized to transfer the ink. Cartridges on the market can transfer up to 90% of the ink from the ink container to the print head. The remaining 10% of the ink and the cartridge are typically disposed of into the garbage for dumping into landfills. Some estimates suggest 400 million ink cartridges are dumped into landfills every year.
There is a need for a refillable and/or 100% recyclable ink cartridge as well as cartridges that hold larger volumes of ink. For every 100,000 used cartridges refilled, 9,599 kilograms of aluminum, 40 tons of plastic and 1,000,000 liters of oil can be saved.